On May 25 the Human Rights Defender Anahit Manasyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Armenia Nicholas Schermers.

The Ombudsman presented to the guest issues related to the protection of the rights of the inhabitants of borderline settlements, the problems arising from the blockade of Berdzor corridor, issues related to the missing servicemen.

She especially stressed the fact of Azerbaijani armed forces’ aggression against the ambulance and medical personnel in the borderline settlement of Armenia on May 17, stating that it is a clear violation of international humanitarian law.

Speaking about the cooperation with the Netherlands, Anahit Manasyan stressed the importance of the Memorandum of Cooperation signed with the “Liberal Policy Institute” NGO on November 3, 2022, according to which the parties implement the “Combating Hate Speech to Establish Pluralism and Tolerance in a Democratic Society” program, financed by the Royal Government.

The Ombudsman also briefed the Ambassador on the priorities of the structure, including protection of the rights of children, women and persons with disabilities, non-discrimination.

In his turn, the Ambassador congratulated Anahit Manasyan on her election as Human Rights Defender, stressing that he attaches great importance to the effective interaction between the Embassy and the Institution of the Human Rights Defender.

 During the meeting, the two sides agreed to continue their close contacts.